Detective lauded for hard work

A foreign national from Lesotho has been sentenced to 37 years of imprisonment, largely due to the excellent work of Constable Detective Shudufhadzo Netshikulwe of the Florida detectives .

According to Netshikulwe, who has been working in this department for nine years, the case started in December 2022 when he received a report about a foreigner living in Durban Deep who was arrested by the Langlaagte K9 unit. The suspect had an unlicensed rifle and pistol with the serial numbers filed off.

“The suspect was apprehended in Durban Deep and immediately arrested. The rifle had 11 rounds of ammunition, and the pistol had nine rounds,” he explained.

“When I started working on this case, the first thing I did was to check if the suspect was legally in the country. I contacted the Department of Home Affairs and found out that the suspect was in the country illegally and didn’t have the necessary papers. We then added this charge to his arrest.

“I thereafter took the guns and the ammunitions to Pretoria to conduct a ballistic report [to verify whether these weapons were used in one crime or was also used in another crime]. The results were positive, and I’m still investigating those crimes,” he said.

Netshikulwe added the case was heard in the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court where the suspect was denied bail. After a thorough investigation, the court found the suspect guilty on November 26, 2024. The suspect was sentenced to 37 years in jail on December 10.

He said the suspect was charged with four counts: Unlawful possession of a fully automatic firearm (riffle) for 15 years of direct imprisonment, unlawful possession of a semi-automatic firearm (pistol) for 15 years of direct imprisonment, unlawful possession of ammunition for five years of direct imprisonment, and for being illegal in the country he received two years of direct imprisonment.

“Counts one and two will run concurrently, and he was declared unfit to have firearms, and after serving, he will be deported back to Lesotho.”

Netshikulwe shared that working on this case came with its challenges, particularly the threatening phone calls and messages from individuals in Lesotho, demanding a meeting. Despite the intimidation, he stood firm and refused. He says typically, obtaining ballistic reports can be a lengthy process, but in this instance, it was surprisingly swift.

Reflecting on the case, he expressed satisfaction with the justice system, stating, “This is one of my big arrest cases, I’m satisfied with the justice system playing its role.”

Detective Warrant Officer Adrian van de Werken, Netshikulwe’s commanding officer, congratulated him, stating that his work is a testament to hard work and determination.

“We as Florida detectives are here to serve our community to the best of our abilities. So when one of our members, through dedication and excellent detective work, receives this type of conviction it shows that we have the best interest of the community at heart. Congratulations to Detective Constable Nethikulwe,” he said.